On 'sarcastic' question about surgical-strike, Sitharaman says, "I understand Hindi"
Union Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told a reporter she understood Hindi when he used what she described as 'sarcastic tone' while quizzing about surgical strikes. During a press conference in Bhopal, Sitharaman was asked why the government was "tom-tomming" the operation, two years later. Notably, in 2016, the Indian Army had attacked terror launch pads in Pakistan to avenge the gruesome Uri attack.
The reporters had asked whether going public with the operation was the right thing to do and if the previous Congress governments carried out similar attacks. The choice of words, however, didn't sit well. A miffed Sitharaman told the reporter, "I got hurt by the way...in a very sarcastic tone you asked the question. The word you used....'bin bajaye (tom-tomming)...I understand Hindi."
Sitharaman went on to say everyone should be proud of the operation and talk about it. "Every citizen should glorify it. Should we be ashamed of attacking an enemy? They attacked our jawans with the help of terrorists. We targeted their (terrorists') camp," Sitharaman said. Later the minister added she got upset with the tone but noted 'he may not have meant it'.
At the meet, Sitharaman also took a dig at Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his claims of the Rafale deal. She advised Gandhi to ask her predecessor, AK Antony, on how defense procurements happen. "But his intention was not to understand it. His intention is to misguide people over Rafale deal, so wherever he goes he raises it to misguide people," she said.
The Rs. 58,000-crore defense agreement with Paris has been at the center of Indian politics with Gandhi accusing the NDA government of using the deal to help Anil Ambani. The NDA has denied the accusations and said the deal is transparent.
